I had a striped raphael catfish in my 150 gallon tank with about an 7 inch Oscar and a Jack Dempsy. I forgot to feed them for about a day and today I look and the Raphael is upside down in some plants. I assume that the Oscar got hungary and fed himself. I first thought that the Raphael was dead, but then looked at him closer and his gills were still moving. I immediately took him out and put him in a 10 gallon that I have setup with my convict in it who is recovering with popeye. The raphael swims upside down and will sometimes just float around. He has a big hunk missing from his side/bottom. Now that I look at him in the 10 gallon, the convict is chasing him and nipping at him. Should I leave him in the 10 gallon? or just put him back in the 150 gallon? What should I do to help heal him? Killing him is not an option.
Striped Raphael got beat up BADLY, but still alive
- Thread starter ConvictKid
- Start date
I put a cave in there. He has got into it and got away from the convict. When he is sleeping in the cave I cant seem to see how he is doing.
you could always section of a side of the tank for awhile to allow him to heal and grow big enough that the con will leave him be.
I'm new to this forum and new to catfishes, but I have 3 little raphaels myself. And, I don't like to give up on fishes either!
First, if you are going to try to save this fish, you have to give him some peace. Section off the treatment tank or better yet, get another 10 gallon just for his recovery. I can't imagine any fish healing well while being picked at by a tankmate, it just sounds really stressful! Give him a hiding place in the hospital tank, in addition to separating him from the convict. You won't be able to check on him as well but isn't it stressful for him to be out in the open? Everything I had read says raphaels like to hole up during daylight.
I don't see a picture of the wound, so I wouldn't make any predictions. I've known of some very serious wounds on goldfish and koi to heal, though. If this were a carp I'd probably apply a topical antibiotic -- but I expect the raphael is not accustomed to handling, that you're not used to handling the raphael, and I'm pretty sure the raphael is stressed about to the max by the initial attack and the recent pestering. So you're probably better to leave it alone. Add some Melafix per bottle directions. It's not much of an antibiotic but it DOES help healing considerably. Provide excellent filtration, don't let any ammonia or nitrite accumulate and do small frequent changes to keep the nitrates low as well. Provide hiding places and let the fish use them.
Start thinking now about where the fish will live if he does heal up. I don't know if fish have that sort of memory, to hide out if returned to the tank where this happened; but I would definitely worry about something similar happening again since whoever the agressor was, has shown him/herself quite capable of taking on a thorny raphael. He needs very peaceful accomodations to heal up in, but he will also need safe accomodations when he's better. Plenty of hidey holes, no raphael-choming tankmates.
First, if you are going to try to save this fish, you have to give him some peace. Section off the treatment tank or better yet, get another 10 gallon just for his recovery. I can't imagine any fish healing well while being picked at by a tankmate, it just sounds really stressful! Give him a hiding place in the hospital tank, in addition to separating him from the convict. You won't be able to check on him as well but isn't it stressful for him to be out in the open? Everything I had read says raphaels like to hole up during daylight.
I don't see a picture of the wound, so I wouldn't make any predictions. I've known of some very serious wounds on goldfish and koi to heal, though. If this were a carp I'd probably apply a topical antibiotic -- but I expect the raphael is not accustomed to handling, that you're not used to handling the raphael, and I'm pretty sure the raphael is stressed about to the max by the initial attack and the recent pestering. So you're probably better to leave it alone. Add some Melafix per bottle directions. It's not much of an antibiotic but it DOES help healing considerably. Provide excellent filtration, don't let any ammonia or nitrite accumulate and do small frequent changes to keep the nitrates low as well. Provide hiding places and let the fish use them.
Start thinking now about where the fish will live if he does heal up. I don't know if fish have that sort of memory, to hide out if returned to the tank where this happened; but I would definitely worry about something similar happening again since whoever the agressor was, has shown him/herself quite capable of taking on a thorny raphael. He needs very peaceful accomodations to heal up in, but he will also need safe accomodations when he's better. Plenty of hidey holes, no raphael-choming tankmates.
how does that put the fish out of his misery? it's not like simply flushing it is going to quickly kill it.
---
as the others suggested clean water and a peaceful place to recoup is a necessity if it is to recover.
Last edited:
I have bought some melafix and have been using it for about 2 or 3 days. There was white stuff growing on his wound and near his mouth, but it has gone away after the second day of using melafix.
Tando.. To be honest I think most of us are quite in favor of putting down a suffering fish. You just get that *shock* reaction from not suggesting to kill them *before* you flush em.
Why flush him or kill him? Thats a 100% chance that he will not recover if he is gone. If you keep him and try to have him recover the worst that can happen is he dies. If he doesn't die then he will recover. I see trying for him to recover better than just killing him. He has a chance of living.
Well, since he is a hospital tank, I don't have to worry about him killing off all my other fish now, do I? The white stuff has gone away after using the melafix and he seems to be doing better. This isnt a thread on weather flushing is right or wrong, its a thread on a Striped Raphael where killing/flushing is not an option, like I said in my original post.
